Stores Break Long-Term Traditions and Open on Thanksgiving Day

This year, Macy's, Wal-Mart and Kohl's are among at least a dozen major retailers that are opening on Thanksgiving.

A handful of retail stores have recently announced that they will open on Thanksgiving Day, putting an end to a time when everything was closed on Thanksgiving.

And Black Friday shopping, the annual rite of passage on the day after Thanksgiving, continues to creep further into the holiday as more stores open their doors a day early.

Over the past few years, major retailers, including Target and Toys R Us, slowly have pushed opening times into Thanksgiving night to one-up each other and compete for holiday dollars. Some initially resisted, saying that they wanted their employees to be able to spend time with their families.

This year, Macy's, Wal-Mart and Kohl's are among at least a dozen major retailers that are opening on Thanksgiving. Several are opening for the first time, and others, including Gap, are opening earlier on the holiday than they did last year.

In South Florida, Dolphin Mall said it will open its doors at 6 p.m., while Sawgrass Mills said it will open at 10 p.m.

So far, it's unclear whether opening on Thanksgiving boosts retailers' top line or simply pushes forward sales from Friday. Last year, it was the latter: Sales on Thanksgiving were $810 million last year, an increase of 55 percent from the previous year as more stores opened on the holiday, according to Chicago research firm ShopperTrak.

Here are some of the malls in South Florida  that will be opened on Thanksgiving:

Aventura Mall
Open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving  until 11 p.m. Nov. 29.

Dadeland Mall
open 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. Nov. 29.

Dolphin Mall
Open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Sawgrass Mills
Open at 10 p.m.

Retails stores open on Thanksgiving:

Walmart
Thanksgiving day open at 8:00 p.m., some special events at 6:00 p.m. (hours vary by store)

Target
Open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Best Buy
Open at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Macy's
Open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

The Gap
Opens at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving at Old Navy stores.
 

Others opened on Thanksgiving:

Winn-Dixie
Open until 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Kmart
Open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
 

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